More than a win, the Yanks needed length out of their starting pitcher tonight. It turns out, they got both. Pettitte went 7 decent innings and Farnsworthless got the ball to Mo with the lead en route to a
5-3 win.
I have a huge bone to pick with Joey Jr. after this one. With no one out in the top of the ninth Jeter was on second and Abreu was on first. A perfect situation for A-Rod to bunt! If he moves those runners over the Yanks don't even need a hit to score the insurance run. A-Rod K'd and the Yanks squandered a perfectly good opportunity. What was Girardi thinking?
Uh, that's a joke, in case you didn't get it. No complaints about the skipper tonight. Pettitte put a small army on the bases, but battled out of just enough of those jams to get the W. The offense left a large army stranded throughout the night, but let's just say they're saving those big hits for games when they need them, OK?
What once looked like the beginnings of a new era in Tampa is quickly becoming the same old, same old. Maybe when Kazmir gets back they'll go on a run, but I just don't see it. The bullpen has been over-performing, and it's only a matter of time. Tonight, they pitched 4 scoreless, but that's not going to happen very often when you walk 5 guys in those four innings.
Matsui stroked his third bomb of the year, and Jeter proved he's all the way back, going 3 for 4 and swiping a bag. Cano's struggles continue and Giambi's average is in the double-digits now.
A quick two-game sweep in the friendly confines of St. Pete will hopefully serve as a warm up for the two-gamer the Yanks will return home to play against the Sox tomorrow and Thursday at the Stadium. The match-ups are below:
- Wang vs. Buchholz
- Beckett vs. Mussina
Player of The Game: I'm going with Mariano Rivera tonight. He's now 5 for 5 in save opportunities and he's made it look downright easy.
Team Record: 8-7
Damon's Broken Bats: 0 tonight, making me look foolish for keeping track.
Come on Brian! No player of the game love for Farnsy?
I read this Gem on Waswatching.com:
"Want one more fun stat? This evening was only the 3rd time in his Yankees career (and the first time since 2006) that Kyle Farnsworth pitched in the 8th inning or later of a road game, that the Yankees won, where he threw one inning and it was a two-run lead or less when he threw, while not allowing any baserunners and using 10 pitches or less."
It was a cumulative vote. How many people here swore at the TV when they saw Farnsworth warming up?